Diesel pusher overheating

[akeyzoo]

Man, with everything out can you test your CAC to make sure it has no leaks?

Chris

[mel s]

Originally Posted by sprnt12

This is a pusher radiator so the oil breather probably vents in front of the rad. I extended mine after my rad. caked up on the inside. A good carwash will clean it right out and now that I by-passed the oil vent, problem solved.

sprnt12
That is true for a pusher with a"rear radiator", (but for a diesel pusher with a "side radiator", not so much).
Mel
'96 Safari

[bobguigley]

my 2010 cummins powered DP had the same symptoms you described with the overheating problem…….the fan clutch was bad.

[JC2]

Originally Posted by bobguigley

my 2010 cummins powered DP had the same symptoms you described with the overheating problem…….the fan clutch was bad.

Does anyone know if this can be checked by a regular person or does it have to be done by a shop?

[JFXG]

Rimrock, I'm confident its a radiator issue. I had the same overheat problem pulling grades across southern Idaho last year. Got to Salt Lake and FL of Utah dismounted a couple of the coolers and did a thorough cleaning. Jammed with dust and grit. Problem solved. Remember, there are about four radiator type units stacked in there, and you must disassemble to some degree to get all of them clean. We also had a shocking pile of leaves and twigs stuck in between the units.

[Uncle Dave]

Originally Posted by sprnt12

This is a pusher radiator so the oil breather probably vents in front of the rad. I extended mine after my rad. caked up on the inside. A good carwash will clean it right out and now that I by-passed the oil vent, problem solved.

205/210 for a bit of time isn't critical as long as it hold there and doesn't climb beyond that.

A carwash wand used too close to the rad will flatten the fins in no time at all and you could be worse off than when you started. Certainly w a good light scrubbing and some toothbrush work you can get in there and get it cleaned. The decades of bug carcasses were quite astonishing coming out of mine.

Pretty common for the fins to get a film of oil from the slobber tube then dust covers the oil and reduces effectiveness dramatically.

it can be effective or destructive - Be careful using a car wash wand on a radiator.

Uncle Dave

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Uncle Dave

Certainly w a good light scrubbing and some toothbrush work you can get in there and get it cleaned.
Uncle Dave

Uncle Dave
I disagree.
It takes a "solvent/chemical cleaner AND several spray rinsings with hose pressure water", (at a minimum), to thoroughly clean the CAC/radiator of a rear radiator diesel pusher .
There is "no way in heck" to thoroughly/properly "clean" the CAC and radiator with "a good light scrubbing and some toothbrush work".
Mel
'96 Safari

[Ramzfan]

I had a 2000 Discovery with the 5.9 Cummins. Took it across the country and it overheated whenever there was a grade to climb. Finally borrowed a buddies pressure washer, got some Simple Green (gallon) and sprayed it on the radiator, making sure to get it in EVERY OPENING. Let it soak for 10-15 minutes, wash it off and do it again. did this about 6-7 times. You should see the crap that came off. A soft brush helps also, wherever you can reach. Be careful, you can bend the fins! I also replaced the plastic overflow tank. (Not cheap) Never had a problem again. Hope this helps.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Ramzfan

Finally borrowed a buddies pressure washer, got some Simple Green (gallon) and sprayed it on the radiator, making sure to get it in EVERY OPENING. Let it soak for 10-15 minutes, wash it off and do it again. did this about 6-7 times. You should see the crap that came off. A soft brush helps also, wherever you can reach. Be careful, you can bend the fins!

Ramzfan
Excellent advice

The only thing I can add is this caution:
Ordinary Simple Green is not "alum safe".
It can harm aluminum if not rinsed off suficiently/thoroughly with water.
I use Extreme Simple Green® Aircraft & Precision Cleaner to clean my CAC and aluminum radiator.

Mel
'96 Safari, 3126 Cat. 132k miles

[Uncle Dave]

Originally Posted by mel s

Uncle Dave
I disagree.
It takes a "solvent/chemical cleaner AND several spray rinsings with hose pressure water", (at a minimum), to thoroughly clean the CAC/radiator of a rear radiator diesel pusher .
There is "no way in heck" to thoroughly/properly "clean" the CAC and radiator with "a good light scrubbing and some toothbrush work".
Mel
'96 Safari

Ill clarify-

I suppose it would depend on how far gone it was wouldn't it?

Shop did mine the first time, and had to remove it .

I did it the second time. with a garden hose and a fin attachment and elbow grease.

Uncle Dave

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Uncle Dave

Certainly w a good light scrubbing and some toothbrush work you can get in there and get it cleaned.
Uncle Dave

Originally Posted by Uncle Dave

Ill clarify-
I suppose it would depend on how far gone it was wouldn't it?
Shop did mine the first time, and had to remove it
Uncle Dave

Dave
On my coach there is no way to get anything solid, like a brush or a hand, between my CAC and my radiator.
To lightly scrub the CAC side of my radiator and/or the radiator side of my CAC, one or the other, (or both), would have to be removed.
Mel
'96 Safari

[rimrock]

I agree that there is no way to get any kind of brush on the engine side of my cooling stack. When I first soaked and cleaned it last year after buying I did not see the large amounts of crud others have described. After removing the radiator in preparation for a good professional cleaning I was able to clean both sides of the CAC and trans cooler much more effectively but it was a 4 hr job getting the radiator out so don't want that as a yearly chore. Looking down the inside of the radiator with a flashlight there seems to be a lot of deposits built up on the internal cooling tubes. Am curious to find out what the radiator shop has to say after I drop it off tomorrow. Thanks again for this forum and all of the feedback. Will let you know when I have it back together and tested. BTW I have modified the slobber tube using a peanut butter jar as described on here so hopefully after all this I will only need a yearly external rinse.

[roberto]

If you have a rock/mud flap, remove it for a test. If the mud flap is aft of the radiator, it will act as an air scoop and challenge the air coming out of the radiator. Air flow will suffer. Also, make sure the radiator is shrouded aft, too. There are flexible shrouds to extend the air channel out to the exterior cap.
Info given on cleaning the radiator and redirecting the slobber tube to a corner of the coach is important. Exit the slobber tube into a qt can stuffed with 0000 steel wool. Captures the Oil and still breathes. My 96 safari was a nightmare until a rally event showed that we could cut holes in the fiberglass shroud to gain access for cleaning to the sandwiched cac and the radiator. It worked. Kept the 3126 cat at 2000 rpm on a hill. Great running and stayed cool. Hope this helps. Bob
2001 40 side door Safari with propane boost. Yes, it moves out.

[mel s]

[QUOTE=ivorykitty01;2072054
make sure the radiator is shrouded aft.
There are flexible shrouds to extend the air channel out to the exterior cap.
My 96 safari was a nightmare until a rally event showed that we could cut holes in the fiberglass shroud to gain access for cleaning to the sandwiched cac and the radiator. [/QUOTE]

Bob


I have a '96 Safari Sahara.
In '05, (54k miles ago), I added an air shroud, around the perimeter of the radiator back to the rear cap, to force the air exiting the radiator out through the rear grille.
It prevents the HOT air exiting the radiator from "short cycling" around the CAC/radiator and back through the CAC and radiator, (thereby increasing the cooling efficiency).

Before reading your post, I had never heard about cutting holes in the fiberglass shroud to gain access to the sandwiched area for cleaning the inexcusable sides of the CAC and radiator.
Thanks for that tip.

Mel
'96 Safari, 132k miles, (105k mine)